Opportunity of a Lifetime

Perhaps this is the 'big moment' you were created for.

Did you ever imagine yourself as a biblical character? How would you have responded being placed in one of the complex and monumental situations they faced? Let's take Mordechai and Esther as examples. At a climactic moment in the Megillah story, Mordechai informs Esther of the planned annihilation of the Jews, and then requests that she go to the king and beg him to rescind the decree.

Esther is hesitant to do so, explaining that an unsolicited visit to the king would endanger her life.

As Mordechai, how would you have responded?

I think a normal response would be to give Esther a guilt trip. "Really, Esther, how can you be thinking only of yourself at a time like this?"

Or perhaps an impassioned plea: "C'mon, Esther you've got to do it! We need you! Don't let us down!"

The Jews will still be saved from somewhere else.

Surprisingly, Mordechai's response is the diametric opposite. He tells Esther, "If you are silent at this moment, the Jews will be saved from somewhere else, and you and your father's house will be lost. And who knows if it's only because of this moment that you attained royalty?"

To paraphrase, Mordechai appears to be saying, "Esther, don't worry about the Jewish people. They will be saved one way or another. But in not exercising your option to assist the Jews when you are in a position to do so, it is you who loses out. And why do you think God put you in this lofty position in the first place?!"

After hearing these words, Esther opts to endanger her life and fulfill Mordechai's requested mission. It appears that Esther saw how power and position bring with them responsibilities, and at times a greater need for self sacrifice.

Purim Message

These words of the Megillah often resound in my mind as I face a personal challenge which entails stretching beyond my comfort zone to assist someone in a unique way. I sometimes wonder, "Who knows if all my life experiences and this series of events have conspired just to test my reaction?"

Even with this awareness, I don't always rise to the challenges that come my way. The clarity of spiritual vision is often obscured by more vivid "this-world" images. It's easier to shrug things off as coincidences, with no obligation on my part, then to interact with the world in ways that demonstrate an awareness that nothing in life is by chance.

But is this not precisely the Purim message?

Even a lottery is Divinely directed.

The name Purim, literally a lottery, denotes randomness and arbitrary picking. But as Mordechai tried to tell Esther, and as the Purim story demonstrates, in truth, all of life's occurrences -- even lotteries! -- are Divinely directed.

The name of the scroll we read on Purim is Megillat Esther. The word megillah means "revealing," and the word Esther (or hester) means "hidden." Together it is "revealing the hidden." Amazingly, Megillat Esther is the only book in the Bible in which God's name does not appear even once! Despite this, His presence is felt throughout the book, as He orchestrates seeming coincidences from behind the scenes. One needs only to delve a bit deeper, beyond the "world mask," to reveal God's inconspicuous, ever-present guiding of destiny.

Loss of Potential

The Almighty has given us each a unique mission in this world, and the tools we need to achieve it. The myriad occurrences in our lives are not by chance, but rather Divinely sent, to help bring out our latent strengths, and to accomplish the tasks for which we were sent to this world.

On the other hand, if one's outlook is that choices are basically inconsequential, and that just as opportunity knocked today so it will tomorrow, one may end up sorely disappointed with life. A missed moment is a one-time opportunity to reveal our inherent greatness and advance closer to fulfilling our ultimate potential. It is a chance that quite likely will never recur in our lifetime. In the final analysis, the loss is primarily ours. It's the loss of self-actualization.

The lesson of Purim is that life's opportunities are not an accident. The magnitude of each moment must not be overlooked, but capitalized upon. And if we find it difficult to internalize this concept, we have a role model to use for inspiration. Her name was Esther.

About the Author

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Visitor Comments: 8

(8)
chanie,
March 8, 2007 10:59 AM

This is great!

This is a great article! I know that Hashem controls the world but it's so much easier for me to say, well, since you control the world make I want to happen be good for me, instead of asking myself how this is good for me. It really puts things in perspective.

(7)
Sarah,
March 8, 2007 9:42 AM

Love it!

Mrs. Kramer ;-), I really liked this article. It is so true and we sometimes (always) forget why Hashem does things in a certain way!

(6)
Gisele,
March 2, 2007 7:55 AM

Esther is A Herorine we all should admire

and emulate. All her actions on behalf of our Klal makes her a true Tzdekes!May we when we celebrate have the true meaning of the Chag in mind- not just the over indulgence in food and alcohol. Be Wise, Careful, Safe, and Erlich during this Chag.Shabbat Shalom- and a Frelach Purim for all.

(5)
Anonymous,
March 2, 2007 3:01 AM

The Ester and Mordechai in other historic events!

First of all Hag Purim Sameach to you and to all Israel. Your inspiring article made me think of why did inquisitions, pogroms and Holocaust happened? Was that the faults of the Mordechais and Esters of the era or were they just G-d's will to test or to punish us for what we have done? Of course it is very hard to guess why did Kadosh Baruch Hu do something but i would like to hear your comment on this. What i really am asking is did we have something to do to prevent those troubles before they even happened and did we failled to do so? Thank you in advance for your kind response. Shabbat Shalom

(4)
tzippy,
February 28, 2007 7:33 PM

that was great.. helped me see my suffeing froma different important perspective.thank you may we all rise up to the opportunities of our lives and be what we can become!

(3)
Yaffa M.,
February 28, 2007 5:38 PM

WOW!

Chillingly awesome. Thank you.

(2)
Aryeh,
February 28, 2007 12:20 PM

just unbelieveable

The sacrifice that Mordechai a'h and Ester a'h made was beyond belief. The gemara in Megillah tells us that Mordechai and Ester were married. They were tzaddikim and they surely wanted to stay married. However, when Mordechai told Ester to see Ahashverosh both Mordechai and Ester knew this step meant that they would have to divorce (see the gemara why). What could be harder for a man and especially for a woman than to give up marriage to a great wonderful righteous person?! Yet Mordechai and Ester made that difficult heroic choice. Why? I can only guess it was because they felt doing the Almighty's will was the most important thing they could do in life. Wow. That's an elevated life, a life of inspiration to us all.

(1)
zvi tusk,
February 25, 2007 2:25 PM

the third from last paragragh

the words that you said were similar to my thoughts when i woke up two years ago after receiving a liver transplant. "Hashem has a plan for me that only i am uniquely qualified to do. I certainly don't want to waste this opportunity!"The merit of Purim was and is that we wetre standing on the razors edge of disaster and when we faced the challenge and survived, we understood that we were given a second chance at life and at living as we are supposed to, according to the Torah.those who survived WW2 or life threatening diseases, can very well understandthat they were given a new lease on life, a new chance to make it right

I was born with a neuromuscular disease known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy and have been confined to a wheelchair my entire life. Unfortunately my sister and I were raised without any religious instruction or guidance. My father wasn't Jewish and although my mother is, she openly claims to be an atheist. The "good news" is that both my sister and myself - independent of each other and at different times in our lives - realized that we are Jewish and chose to live a Jewish life.

Because of my disability, I'm not always able to attend services on Shabbat, but I always light candles, pray from a Siddur and read the weekly Torah portion. I would like to know whether, considering my situation, if using a computer is allowed during the Sabbath? I found the complete Bible online and since my computer is voice-activated I don't have to struggle to turn pages or continuously ask for assistance.

Thank you to everyone at Aish.com for making it possible for myself and so many others to learn about being Jewish and grow in the most important part of our lives.

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Thank you so much for your encouraging words and for sharing your inspiring story.

God gives each of us a set of challenges. To those more capable of conquering difficulties, He gave bigger challenges. A challenge from God is a sign that He cares about us and has confidence in our ability to become great.

It sounds like you're doing great!

As for using the computer on Shabbat, that is prohibited. A foundation of Judaism is that we need to respect God's wishes, even if we think that doing otherwise is "for a good reason." Consider this story:

A king calls in his trusted minister and says: "I have an important mission for you to perform. Go to the neighboring kingdom and meet in the palace with their leaders. But remember one thing - under no circumstances must you remove your shirt during this meeting. Now go and do as I say."

The minister sets off on his merry way and soon arrives at the neighboring kingdom. There he heads straight for the palace where he meets with the King. In the midst of their discussion, he sees some of the king's officers pointing and laughing at him.

"Why are you laughing?" asks the visiting minister.

"Because we've never seen someone with such a pronounced hunchback as yourself," they say.

"What are you talking about? I'm not a hunchback!"

"Of course you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"We'll bet you one million dollars that you are!"

"Fine - I'll gladly take your bet."

"Okay, so take off your shirt and prove it."

At which point the minister remembers the parting words of the king... "under no circumstances must you remove your shirt during the meeting." Yet, the minister reasons, a million dollars would certainly bring added wealth to the king's coffers. I know I'm not a hunchback, so I'll surely win the bet. Of course, under these circumstances the king would approve...

The minister removes his shirt and proudly displays his perfect posture. With pride in his achievement, he holds out his hand, into which is placed a check for one million dollars.

The minister can barely contain his excitement. He quickly ends the meeting and runs back to give the wonderful news to his king. "I earned you a million dollars!" exclaims the minister. "It was easy. I only had to remove my shirt to prove that I wasn't a hunchback."

"You did what?!" shouts the king. "But I told you specifically not to remove your shirt. I trusted that you'd follow instructions, and so I bet the other king $10 million dollars that he couldn't get you to remove your shirt!"

The Torah tells us "Do not add or subtract from the mitzvahs." (Deut. 4:2) Jewish law is a precise metaphysical science. Consider a great work of art. Would you consider adding a few notes to a Bach fugue, or some brushstrokes to a Rembrandt portrait?!

Perfection, by definition, cannot be improved upon. Altering Torah law is an unacceptable implication that God is lacking.

The verse in Psalms 19:8 declares: "Torat Hashem Temimah" - the Torah of God is complete. For just as adding one wire to a transistor radio means it no longer can pick up reception, so too we mustn't tinker with Jewish law. The mitzvahs of God are perfect.

May the Almighty give you strength to continue your growth in Judaism.

In 1315, King Louis X of France called back the Jews who had been expelled a few decades earlier by King Louis IX. This marked a theme in Jewish-French life: expulsions and subsequent invitations to return. The French monarchy was trying to establish their land as the "new Jerusalem," and to fulfill this mission attempted several crusades to Israel. In 1615, King Louis XIII ordered that Christians were forbidden to speak with Jews, upon penalty of death. Eventually, in 1683, King Louis XIV expelled the Jews from the colony of Martinique.

When you experience joy, you feel good because your magnificent brain produces hormones called endorphins. These self-produced chemicals give you happy and joyful feelings.

Research on these biochemicals has proven that the brain-produced hormones enter your blood stream even if you just act joyful, not only when you really are happy. Although the joyful experience is totally imaginary and you know that it didn’t actually happen, when you speak and act as if that imaginary experience did happen, you get a dose of endorphins.

These chemicals are naturally produced by your brain. They are totally free and entirely healthy.

Many people find that this knowledge inspires them to create more joyful moments. It’s not just an abstract idea, but a physical reality.

There is no person on earth so righteous, who does only good and does not sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20).

Reading the suggestions for ridding oneself of character defects, someone might say, "These are all very helpful for someone who has character defects, but I do not see anything about myself that is defective."

In the above-cited verse, Solomon states what we should all know: no one is perfect. People who cannot easily find imperfections within themselves must have a perception so grossly distorted that they may not even be aware of major defects. By analogy, if a person cannot hear anything, it is not that the whole world has become absolutely silent, but that he or she has lost all sense of hearing and may thus not be able to hear even the loudest thunder.

In his monumental work, Duties of the Heart, Rabbeinu Bachaye quotes a wise man who told his disciples, "If you do not find defects within yourself, I am afraid you have the greatest defect of all: vanity." In other words, people who see everything from an "I am great/right" perspective will of course believe that they do no wrong.

When people can see no faults in themselves, it is generally because they feel so inadequate that the awareness of any personal defects would be devastating. Ironically, vanity is a defense against low self-esteem. If we accept ourselves as fallible human beings and also have a sense of self-worth, we can become even better than we are.

Today I shall...

be aware that if I do not find things within myself to correct, it may be because I am threatened by such discoveries.

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